Matthew 23:27

English Standard Version

²⁷^(A)“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like ^(B)whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people's bones and ^(C)all uncleanness.

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Matthew 23:27

The Voice

²⁷Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like a grave that has been whitewashed. You look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside you are full of moldering bones and decaying rot.

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Matthew 23:27

New English Translation

²⁷“Woe to you, experts in the law^[a] and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs^[b] that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean.

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Footnotes

Matthew 23:27 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
Matthew 23:27 sn This was an idiom for hypocrisy—just as the wall was painted on the outside but something different on the inside, so this person was not what he appeared or pretended to be (for discussion of a similar metaphor, see L&N 88.234; BDAG 1010 s.v. τοῖχος). See Ezek 13:10-16; Acts 23:3.

Matthew 23:27

New Century Version

²⁷“How terrible for you, teachers of the law and Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You are like tombs that are painted white. Outside, those tombs look fine, but inside, they are full of the bones of dead people and all kinds of unclean things.

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Matthew 23:27

New Living Translation

²⁷“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.

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